Spring urged chopsticks



Aug. 22, 1961 w. F. LEE

SPRING URGED CHOPSTICKS Filed Aug. 13, 1959 INVENTOR. Walter F. Lee

United States Patent 2,997,328 SPRING URGED CHOPSTICKS Walter F. Lee, 1484 th Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 833,558 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-99) This invention relates to eating implements commonly referred to as chopsticks.

Conventionally in the Orient, pairs of bamboo sticks have been used as eating implements. The implements are usually held in the hand, wherein one finger separates the sticks so that the finger acts as a spacer or separator and a fulcrum. The other fingers of the hand manipulate the sticks so as to cause the stick to rotate about the finger-fulcrum in such a manner that the ends of the stick can be used to clamp food.

In the hands of a skillful user the chopsticks are an efiective eating implement. However, such eating implements are extremely diflicult for the unskilled person to use.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a unique chopstick combination in which a spring is mounted at the fulcrum point between the chopsticks to function as a spacer, a fulcrum, and a spring biasing mechanism to bias the rear end of the sticks together and the front end of the sticks apart.

In this device a user merely needs to grasp the sticks in his hand at a point below the springs in such a manner as to force the operative end of the sticks together. The spring thus functions to return the operative ends of the stick to their spread position when the hand tensioning is released. By this means a completely inexperienced person can successfully manipulate the chopsticks and use them for an eating implement.

A further feature and advantage of this invention is that the spring attachment for the sticks is slidably mounted on the sticks so that the fulcrum point for the sticks can be moved to accommodate for dilferent strokes of the operative ends of the sticks.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawing in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view of the spring urged chopsticks shown in operation.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sticks.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken at line 3-3 showing the position of the spring with the chopsticks shown in crosssection.

Referring now to the drawing the principal embodiment of the invention comprises a pair of conventional chopsticks indicated at A which are conventionally formed with a shank formed in a substantially rectangular cross section as indicated at and an operative end as at 16 which are formed in substantially rounded cross section.

A coil spring B is mounted on the shank 15 of the two chopsticks A as indicated in the drawing. Spring B comprises a coil 17 which is tightly wound and formed of Patented Aug. 22, 1961 the chopsticks. The opposite end 23 of the spring is formed with a similar loop 24 which extends from the bottom portion of the spring at approximately 45 angles, or at an angle midway between normal and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spring. By this means when a chopstick is inserted into loop 24, one wall 26 of the chopstick is biased against the upper portion of the spring by the biasing effect of the loop 24. Thus loop 24 in combination with loop 21 functions to bias ends 15 together and operative ends 16 of the chopsticks A apart. The body of the spring B functions to space the portion of the chopsticks in contact with the spring apart a distance equal to the length of the spring. The spring also functions as a fulcrum about which the chopsticks are pivoted to move towards and away from one another, and loop 21 tends to bias its associated chopstick in a position substantially normal to the spring and loop 24 biases the operative end of its associated chopstick outwardly from the operative end of the other stick.

The biasing action is due to the fact that loop 21 extends axially outward from the longitudinal axis of the spring so that the loop holds the spring with its longitudinal axis close to normal relative to the longitudinal axis of the chopstick to which it is attached. Loop 24 is formed in an upwardly inclined angle in such a way as to force the top portion of the chopstick inwardly and the operating portion of the chopstick in the outward direction as particularly seen in FIG. 2.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An eating implement comprising a pair of chopsticks; a coil spring mounted between said chopsticks, connecting and biasing means formed by said spring to connect the spring and chopsticks together thereto to bias at least one of said sticks at an angle substantially off the normal relative the longitudinal axis of said spring and in a direction with one end of said chopsticks in substantially spaced apart relation; said connecting and biasing means being of sufficient resiliency of allow the pressure of the index finger and the thumb to overcome the biasing force.

2. In an eating implement the combination of a pair of chopsticks, a coil spring mounted on the shank of said chopsticks, said coil spring being disposed between said chopsticks and mounted to join said sticks at a position substanially equally spaced from the shank tip of said sticks, and means connecting said spring and said sticks urging the tip of the shank portions of said sticks together, the opposite ends of said coil spring engaging opposite side walls of the shank of said sticks to function as a spacer and fulcrum for said side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,277,946 Kenkel Sept. 3, 1918 2,711,339 McGogy June 21, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 404,402 Great Britain J an. 18, 1934 970,972 France Jan. 11, 1951 

